There have been a number of roadway or highway guide or marking posts which are constructed either of a flexible material or are spring biased in order to be self-erecting in the event the marking post is accidentally hit and bent by a motor vehicle which leaves the roadway. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,084,914, 4,092,081, 4,106,879 and 4,123,183 disclose various forms of self-erecting roadway marking posts.
In the design of such a marking post, it is highly desirable for the post to be constructed in a manner which provides for quick and simple installation. The post should also be able to withstand many dozens of impacts from the bumpers of high speed vehicles without damaging or destroying the post and without pulling the post out of the ground. The ease and speed of installation is particularly important in view of the large number of marking posts which are used along the highways and expressways and the fact that frequently the installation of marking posts is performed when the installer is exposed to substantial motor vehicle traffic.
For the same reasons, it is also sometimes desirable for a marking post to be designed for quick and convenient replacement in the event that the post is destroyed or is no longer usable. In addition, it is desirable for the post to be installed in a manner by which the post may not be easily damaged or removed by a person walking along the roadway. Roadway marking post should also carry a reflecting material which cannot be easily scraped from the post by the underneath surface of a motor vehicle hitting and passing over the post.